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Red-headed Lovebird
The Red-headed Lovebird or Red-faced Lovebird (Agapornis pullarius or pullaria) is a small African parrot. Description It is a compact and rather stout 15-16 cm long bird with a large, round head and a short tail. It weighs about 43 g. The plumage is mostly green, darker on the upperparts and generally brighter than in most Lovebirds. The blue rump is especially visible when the bird is in flight. The tail has a red-yellow-and-blue bar. The irises are brown, the legs are grey, and the bill is coral-red. Both sexes have a patch that covers the throat and the forehead, in the male it is red, in the female it is orange. The male also has black underwings, while the female has green. The juvenile resembles the adult female, despite having a duller green colouration and a smaller head patch. Subspecies *''A.p. pullaria'', the nominate subspecies, is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Sudan, south Zaire and Angola; *''A.p. ugandae'', has less blue on its rump, lives in Uganda, Ethiopia, Ruanda, east Zaire, Kenya and Tanzania. Behaviour Red-headed Lovebirds form groups of various size, from 4-6 individuals to 18-20, rarely 30. They fly fast and can cover long distances in search of food, and then return to a roosting tree in the evening. Some couples live alone and sleep in their nest even outside of the breeding season. This Lovebird is a resident species, although some small groups effectuate short-distance local migrations. Feeding It forages primarily on the ground or perched on the stems of the weeds whose seeds it eats. It especially likes millet and sorghum and occasionaly feeds on fruit, such as figs. In certain areas, the species was so common it was considered a threat to agriculture. Breeding During the breeding season, which coincides with the rain season (when the plants of the savannah produce large amounts of seeds), the couples isolate themselves. The nest is built primarily by the female, with little contribution from the male, normally inside a termite nest on a tree, rarely on the ground. The nest has a round entrance hole and has a tunnel which leads to the incubation chamber, which is lined with tree bark, leaves and grasses that the female transports under her feathers. The clutch consists of 3-6 eggs, incubation usually starts after the 2nd-4th egg has been laid and lasts 20-22 days. The young become independent at 45 days of age, and develope adult plumage at 4 months. Distribution and Habitat The Red-headed Lovebird inhabits a vast range in central and eastern Africa, although it is unevenly distributed. It is present all across Uganda, in the northern regions of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Côte d'Ivoire, in north-east Ghana, south Togo, Benin, and Nigeria, in Cameroon, in the Central African Republic, in Sudan, in Chad, and in nort-west Angola. It prefers open habitats, such as savannahs and prairies with few tall trees. It is possible to see it near cultivated fields. It seldom ventures into forests, and when it does, it is usually a forest rich in clearings. It likes woodland in the proximity of rivers. In captivity This bird is uncommon in captivity due to its peculiar nesting habits making it hard to breed, altough some owners have succesfully induced it to burrow into cork to nest. The nest chamber needs to be heated to about 27 °C (81 °F). Unlike many other Lovebirds, it does not make a good pet due to its nervosity and lack of affection towards its owners. Category:Birds of Africa Category:Birds kept as pets Category:Parrots Category:Psittaciformes Category:Psittaculidae Category:Agapornis Category:Birds Category:Bird Species Category:Aves